Patch notes 2.6.0 (2/2): Newbie improvements

Hey all,

This patch restores some new player protections that never worked properly, eases in some game mechanics, and fixes common new player issues.

New players (lvl 1-9, single-class only)

• Only lose half a level's progress on death.
• Hits don't cost balance.
• Free corpse retrieval with supplicate (no deity or favor needed).
• Newbie gear
  • Class gear that you can actually use (druids a club, rangers a bow and quiver),
  • Equip weapons and shields in the right hands. wear all no longer puts a book in your weapon hand.
  • Academy shop sells bows and quivers.
• Lord Darius at the training grounds heals you.

Novices (lvl 1-24, single class only)

• Recall for free to the academy (or your sethome), outside of combat.
• Until you sethome, home is the Newbie Academy (for post-patch created characters). Dying and Word of Recall bring you there too.
• New-player tips (config -hints turns the tips off).
• Bolo's maps now trigger with use <map> instead of examine. Use it at his stand to travel; use it anywhere else to come back to Bolo, crumbling the map. The Dwarven Area map now leads to the Dwarven Daycare.
• Shop gear above your level is marked, and new players confirm with buy <n> anyway.